The Curious IdlerOctober 2015

adminOctober 1, 2015

“Lots of Leaside people tell me they are downsizing,” says Madison (no last name given) of Elegant Garage Sale, on Bayview. “We’re getting many people come in with silver, good china, crystal and furniture. They’ve no room for it. Downsizing is big business these days.”

An old uniform in Pagnello’s Antiques on Bayview is intriguing militaria devotees. “It is a time capsule of a Canadian soldier returning from World War I,” says Michael Pagnello, who owns the store with brother Frank. An impressed buff who viewed the uniform thought it worth about $2,000. Boots were not included.

Steve Litowitz is proud of his beautiful garden at the corner of Parkhurst and Hanna. Unhappily, thieves are stealing plants. A sign now reads: “On Aug. 18 an oriental lily and a mature bunch of yellow lilies were taken from the ground. Only a root ball remains. I started work on this garden over 25 years ago. The visual pleasure was to be shared by all. If you need plants I’ll give you $.”

If numbers on a Leaside speed detector can be trusted, 13 of 100 motorists recently driving west on Millwood between Rumsey and McRae broke the 40 kph law. Fastest speeds flashed on a screen were 47, 50 and 60 kph. Encouragingly, most vehicles were under 36 kph.

Thirteen thousand dogs and cats – that’s the number of local pets registered with two veterinarian clinics: the Laird-Eglinton Pet Hospital on Laird and the Leaside Animal Clinic on Bayview.

Sixteen stores are for lease along Bayview, between Moore and Eglinton. Happily, several stores are expected to reopen soon with new tenants.

Parishioners at St. Anselm’s Church on MacNaughton Rd. were asked on a recent Sunday for charitable donations ranging from $1,800 to $24,000. Pledge cards were issued by the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto to support The Family of Faith campaign. Other amounts suggested “for your prayerful consideration” were $3,000, $6,000, or $12,000. The “sacrifice” pledges are payable over five years.